Two Kiama Quarriers senior teams have claimed Division One league championships and are now through to their respective grand finals in two weeks’ time.The All Age Division One women’s team went undefeated throughout the 2025 season, finishing with 14 wins and 2 draws. Their closest competitors on the ladder, Moss Vale, trailed by 10 points.The team had a scare in last Sunday’s major semi-final against Moss Vale, falling behind 2-1 early in the match. But they fought back with two goals from Alyce Quod, securing a 3-2 win and a place in the grand final.Kiama Quarriers Football Club secretary Nerissa Peterson said the team had put in a tremendous effort this season.“They recruited a few new players, and the team has really bonded. They’ve been training harder, even showing up on cold Thursday nights,” she said.“Despite the rain, they’ve been booking alternative venues like indoor courts. They’re more cohesive this year and have a deeper squad to draw from.”The club’s Over 30s Women’s Division One team also booked their grand final spot with a 3-1 win over Russell Vale on Sunday. After conceding a goal in the 30th minute, the team rallied to dominate the remainder of the match.They’ve also had a standout season, losing just one game all year - though Peterson says that match came under unusual circumstances.“The Over 30s had one loss, and that was when they only had nine players against a full team of eleven. But they’ve beaten all the teams they’ll face in the grand final, including Russell Vale, so they’re pretty confident,” she said.The over 30s division one league champions. Photo KQFCWeather permitting, both grand finals are scheduled for Sunday, 31 August, and Peterson says the club is buzzing with excitement at the prospect of two potential wins.“It would be really special. The Over 30s won the grand final in 2023, but for the All Age Division One women, it’s been a while. I don’t think they’ve won for some time - especially since the split between the Women’s Premier League and the community league. So it’s been several years,” she said.Meanwhile, the All Age Division Three men’s team is still in contention after a dramatic victory over Gerringong on Saturday.The Kiama All Age Division Three men's team are one win away from a grand final spot. Photo: KQFCThe match ended 1-1, going to penalties, where Kiama emerged victorious with a 7-6 result.“For our Division Three team to make the semifinals is huge. They’ve got a good mix - some new players, and a few who’ve come back from the district league to play again for their local club,” said Peterson.“It’s just really great to see that momentum and strength returning to the club.”Kiama will now face the University of Wollongong next week. If they win, it will mean three Kiama Quarriers teams will be playing in grand finals this season.

On 19 September 1981, Shellee Gibson was born at Kiama District Hospital. Almost 44 years later, and only a few hundred metres down the road at Bonaira Oval, she ran out for Kiama Power to play her 200th senior AFL game on Saturday, 16 August.Fifteen years in the making, Shellee has won five premierships, represented both NSW and the South Coast, and kicked 142 career goals.Although her team couldn’t secure the win to mark the milestone, she still enjoyed the occasion.“They were just stronger than us. We had our shots, and they just fell short. That’s footy. What can you do?” said Shellee.“I’ve been around a long time, so it doesn’t affect me that much. I love just getting out there and running around. The girls all have pretty good attitudes. We gave it our all and just weren’t the better team on the day.“But it was a good day for footy. I think everyone had a good day. We all had a good night, the boys got some wins, so the atmosphere was really good.”Shellee was the president, treasurer, coach, captain and player of the Wollongong Saints 15 years ago. Photo: Brian ScottShellee was the driving force behind the Illawarra’s first women’s AFL team - the Wollongong Saints - where she took on the roles of president, treasurer, coach, captain and player.She reflected on her very first game, which was against Sydney University, and how it all started after playing only soccer before.“Game number one, I think we played Sydney Uni or something, and the ball was dribbling along the ground and I walked backwards away from it,” she said.“I’m like, man, they’re all tackling and jumping on the ground. It’s too crazy. But yeah, eventually I got there. It was very, very different to soccer.”So what motivated her to start a team in a sport she barely knew?“I think I’m just determined. I like kicking. I like kicking and catching. I like kicking the ball. I don’t like tackling. So I just practised kicking, running, catching - and I’m still, that’s still all I can do really,” she said.“I just like playing team sports. I like the whole atmosphere. Kiama is a good family club. Everyone’s up and about, everyone says congratulations, all the guys get around you - we all train together.”Shellee in action in her 200th game. Photo: Brian ScottThat family spirit, she says, was nowhere to be seen when she first started.“We weren’t affiliated with anyone when we started in the women’s competition. No one really wanted anything to do with us. We couldn’t join the men’s club. We couldn’t train on their fields. We had nothing. We didn’t even have toilets. It was terrible - we didn’t even have equipment,” she said.Now, there are 11 teams across two divisions in the South Coast competition - something Shellee says she never imagined.“I struggled to get eight players for the first three games. That’s all I had. I had to fill my car up - just so I knew I’d definitely have five players to drive to Sydney every week,” she said.“And like, we had no experience. I’d never played a game before. And I was the coach and the player and the captain and the president. Now we’ve got like 15s and 16s and 17s - some will have played a hundred games before they even hit seniors. And it’s only growing. It’s going to be massive.”Gibson’s knee collapsed during pre-season this year, and it nearly stopped her from reaching the 200-game milestone.“My cartilage is gone. I’ve worn it out playing too many games. So I had a couple of weeks just strengthening and rehab and wore a bit of tape and got through it,” she said.But is 200 the end?“As long as the girls kick me the ball and I don’t have to tackle, that’d be good. But yeah, I’ll just keep going until I fall apart.”Her team is out of finals contention this season, but she’ll lace up the boots one last time for Kiama Power’s final match of the year against Northern Districts at home on Saturday (23 August).To wrap up, Shellee shared the pre-game superstition that might just be the secret to her long and resilient career.“I like to put my right boot on first, and then I put both boots on, and then I tie them up. I don’t tie one at a time,” she said. “I also like to go for a lap of the field and have some me time. I just need one or two minutes.”

UNDER 17 GIRLS AFLBOMADERRY 58 d KIAMA POWER 24

Kiama asserted their dominance over the Illawarra District Rugby Union competition last weekend, claiming emphatic wins in both grades against the Camden Rams.Played at Camden Rugby Park, Kiama’s first-grade side ran in five tries in each half to secure a thumping 64-17 victory.Centre Mick Taylor was the standout performer, crossing the line four times. Captain Jack Hobbs added a double, while flyhalf Cooper Hansen contributed 17 points with a try and six goals.Kiama forward Dante Patrick praised the team’s overall performance but acknowledged there were still areas to improve.“I thought our discipline and defence throughout the game were actually pretty sound, but there were just some unlucky reads. Camden threw a couple of moves at us that we weren't really ready for - hats off to them,” Patrick said.“But after those 17 points, we made it personal. From that point on, we didn’t want to let anything else through.”Kiama’s reserve grade team also put on a dominant display, winning 52-17.“Both grades went out there this week with the mindset of making a statement heading into the business end of the season,” said Patrick.“We just wanted to show we’re the team to beat in both grades. Camden put up an awesome fight, but we wanted to show that it’s going to be really tough for anyone to beat us in the run home - and I think we executed that pretty well.”With the two wins, it's all but confirmed that both Kiama teams will host a home major semi-final in two weeks - an achievement not seen in Kiama for many years.“It’s one for the history books, having both grades playing in a major semi at Kiama,” said Patrick. “It’s going to be massive, and we can’t wait to put on a big performance on such a big stage in front of a home crowd.”Both teams are currently sitting second on their respective ladders, with an outside chance of finishing first depending on next weekend’s results.As they prepare for finals rugby, Patrick said the focus now turns to opposition analysis.“We’re studying our likely opponents and looking at what we can do to get the job done,” he said.“For example, Campbelltown - who are in first place - are a very powerful, well-rounded team. They’ve got strength, pace, skill, and flair, just like us.“So we’ve been focusing on our own playing group - figuring out who we need to start the game strong and who can come off the bench and close it out.”Both grades will face Bowral at Kiama Showground on Saturday (23 August) in the final round of the regular season.

Round 16 proved a tough outing for all three local teams at a critical point in the Group 7 South Coast Rugby League season.The headline act was the Shellharbour Sharks finally breaking their hoodoo against the Gerringong Lions - the side that had beaten them in the last two grand finals.Played at Ron Costello Oval on Sunday, 17 August, the game started in familiar fashion, with Gerringong striking early. Toby Gumley Quine crossed in the 9th minute, followed by a try off the back of a sharp linebreak from Wes Pring in the 21st, giving the Lions a 12-0 lead.But Shellharbour responded calmly, notching two quick tries before the break to level the scores at 12-12.The second half opened with tight, physical footy before Kade Sampson bagged his second try of the afternoon, finishing off a slick backline move to put the Sharks ahead.Six minutes later, centre Ryan James powered through on a storming run to extend the lead, and a 70th-minute intercept try pushed the score to 24-12.Gerringong’s young winger James Kunkler stepped through the line in the 75th to give the Lions hope, but they couldn't capitalise on late possession, falling short 24-18.The Kiama Knights also suffered a costly loss. Sitting second on the ladder heading into their home clash with Albion Park Oak Flats, they’re now expected to drop to third.Albion Park struck first through halfback Kane Ball in the 5th minute, but Kiama fullback Brad Killmore replied with a near-identical try six minutes later.Both teams traded tries to lock the scores at 12-all. Momentum swung, however, when Kiama winger Matt Morris attempted a chip-and-chase that fell straight to Cooper Barnes, who ran the length of the field to make it 16-12.Albion Park took control from there, scoring back-to-back tries in the 56th and 60th minutes to stretch the lead to 26-12.A late combination from Sam Hooper, Killmore, and McDonald in the 78th minute gave Kiama a consolation try, but Albion Park held firm for a 26-18 win.“It was a tough loss,” said Killmore post-match. “They came out fast and out-enthused us for most of the game. It just proves anyone in the five can win it. We’ll regroup.”He also paid tribute to Kiama captain Kieran Poole, who marked his 250th first-grade appearance.“He’s been a leader and hero at our club for so many years now. He’s got this never-die attitude - you’ll never see him stop trying, no matter the score. And he’s also just a great bloke. I hope he never stops playing.”Kiama captain Kieran Poole played his 250th first grade game for the club. Photo: @SticksPix_Over at Kevin Walsh Oval, the Jamberoo Superoos were stunned by the 8th-placed Milton-Ulladulla Bulldogs, who put on a second-half clinic.The game was evenly poised early, with both teams trading tries to sit at 16-all by the 43rd minute.Jamberoo’s Rhys Kennedy muscled over from dummy half in the 47th to give the home side the lead, but from the 52nd minute on, it was all Bulldogs - four unanswered tries sealing a commanding 40-22 win.With two rounds remaining, the top five looks set - Stingrays, Sharks, Knights, Lions, and Eagles - but the final order is still wide open.Kiama will play a catch-up game against the Berry Magpies at Berry on Wednesday before enjoying the bye this weekend. Gerringong host the Stingrays in what looms as a blockbuster, while Jamberoo travel to face Albion Park.

UNDER 16 SEMI-FINALKIAMA 31 d CAMPBELLTOWN 14

UNDER 18 RUGBY UNIONKIAMA VS RANDWICK

UNDER 14 RUGBY UNION SEMI-FINALAVONDALE 14 d KIAM 12

UNDER 12 RUGBY UNION SEMI-FINALCAMDEN 37 d KIAMA 7

UNDER 11 JUNIOR RUGBY SEMI-FIN ALKIAMA 21 d CAMDEN 20

UNDER 10 RUGBY UNION SEMI-FINAL CAMPBELLTOWN 14 d KIAMA BLACK 0

UNDER 10 SEMI-FINALKIAMA BLACK 41 d CAMDEN 0

PEMIER DIVISION MENKIAMA POWER 95 d BOMADERRY TIGERS 27

WOMEN'S PREMIER DIVISION AFLKIAMA POWER 26 d BOMADERRY TIGERS 10

MEN'S RESERVE GRADEKIAMA POWER 95 d BOMADERRY TIGERS 34

KIAMA JFC UNDER 11 GIRLS PURPLE VS BALGOWNIE

KIAMA JFC UNDER 10 GIRLSPURPLE VS WHITE

KIAMA JFC UNDER 10 GIRLSWHITE VS PURPLE

KIAMA JFC - UNDER 6BLUE VS PINK